Here's a new trend worth spotlighting in health care: Doctors are prescribing nature walks and art shows to help patients get healthier.

• Why it matters: It's a strong endorsement of the fact that there are nonclinical steps we can take to improve our wellbeing.

👀 Zoom in: The practice is dubbed "social prescription," The New York Times' Christina Caron writes. And it's being adopted in several countries around the world, including the U.S., the U.K., China, India, South Korea and Australia.

• Doctors are writing prescriptions for social activities to address feelings of isolation and stress that are chipping away at patients' health and longevity.

Here are a few examples, via The N.Y. Times:

• "At the Cleveland Clinic, doctors are prescribing nature walks, volunteering and ballroom dancing to geriatric patients."
• "In Newark, an insurance provider has teamed up with the New Jersey Performing Arts Center to offer patients glassblowing workshops, concerts and museum exhibitions."
• "A nonprofit in Utah is connecting mental health patients with community gardens and helping them participate in other activities that bring them a sense of meaning."

🖼️ The big picture: As we've reported, social connection and time spent in nature are two of the most effective ways to boost mood. Social prescriptions attempt to give people the keys to happiness through lifestyle changes like these.

🔭 What to watch: There's a debate over whether social prescriptions should be covered by health insurance, The Times' Caron notes.

• There are ongoing studies digging into whether prescribed social activities can boost patients' quality of life enough to keep them out of the ER over routine complaints and save hospitals and insurers money.

The pic du jour comes from reader Lynn Starr, chief global advocacy officer at JDRF, the top international Type 1 diabetes research and advocacy organization.

• She zoomed in on this owl in her backyard in northern Virginia.

"We love watching and listening to [this owl]. The call sounds like, 'Who cooks for you?' Just mesmerizing!"